Thales (S21sec) vs Sapphire
Thales (S21sec) and Sapphire are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. Thales (S21sec) targets Enterprise organizations, while Sapphire serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Thales (S21sec) includes 2 attack surfaces in base pricing (Network, OT/ICS), compared to 4 for Sapphire (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
Buyer brief
Thales (S21sec) and Sapphire are both Services firms that work with your existing tools. Thales (S21sec) targets Enterprise organizations, while Sapphire serves SMB, Mid-market, and Enterprise. Thales (S21sec) includes 2 attack surfaces in base pricing (Network, OT/ICS), compared to 4 for Sapphire (Endpoint, Cloud, SaaS, Network).
Sapphire offers broader coverage (4 surfaces vs. 2). Thales (S21sec) may suit teams that need depth over breadth.
At a glance
| FIELD |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response | UK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC |
| Price | Custom quote | Custom quote |
| Response authority | 2/6 actions · Configurable | 1/6 actions · Configurable |
| Stack | Works with existing stack | Works with existing stack |
| Data access | Reports only | Dashboards |
| Warranty | None listed | None listed |
- Best fit
- Critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 2/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Reports only
- Warranty
- None listed
- Best fit
- UK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC
- Price
- Custom quote
- Response authority
- 1/6 actions · Configurable
- Stack
- Works with existing stack
- Data access
- Dashboards
- Warranty
- None listed
Detailed comparison
| FIELD | Thales (S21sec)TECH-AGNOSTIC | SapphireTECH-AGNOSTIC |
|---|---|---|
| Fit | ||
| Target size | Enterprise | SMB, Mid-market, Enterprise |
| Sentiment | Mixed | Mixed |
| Your stack | ||
| Approach | Works with your tools | Works with your tools |
| EDR integrations | Customer endpoint security tools | EDR toolsMicrosoft technologies |
| SIEM integrations | Customer SIEM platformsThales SOC tooling | ExabeamSIEM tools |
| Coverage | EPEndpoint: LimitedCloudCloud: LimitedIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: LimitedNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Covered | EPEndpoint: CoveredCloudCloud: CoveredIDIdentity: LimitedSaaSSaaS: CoveredNetNetwork: CoveredOTOT/IoT: Optional add-on |
| Response | ||
| Response type | Active Remediation | Active Remediation |
| Approval policy | Configurable | Configurable |
| Response actions | ContainCustom playbooks | Custom playbooks |
| IR included | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Cost | ||
| Price range | Not published | Not published |
| Minimum seats | None | None |
| Breach warranty | – | – |
| More details | ||
| Requires own agent | No | No |
| Endpoints | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Cloud workloads | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Identity | ~ Limited | ~ Limited |
| SaaS apps | ~ Limited | ✓ Included |
| Network | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| OT/ICS | ✓ Included | + Optional |
| Threat hunting | ✓ Included | ✓ Included |
| Response SLA | Not disclosed | Not disclosed |
| 24/7 coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Pricing model | Custom quote for Thales Cyber Detection and Response, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR. Public prices are not published. | Custom quote. Sapphire does not publish MDR package pricing. |
| Hidden cost warnings | The current S21sec domain routes to Thales-branded services, so buyers wanting legacy S21sec-specific delivery should confirm contracting entity, SOC location and delivery team.. Public pages do not publish prices, minimum terms, service credits, MTTD/MTTR or formal MDR SLAs.. Thales offers a broad cybersecurity services portfolio; buyers should separate base MDR scope from CTI, DRPS, DFIR, CERT, ICS monitoring and advisory services.. Named endpoint, identity and cloud containment actions are not public and should be confirmed tool by tool.. Data retention, raw log access, offboarding and detection-content export rights are not described publicly. | Public pages do not publish response SLAs or exact response-authority rules.. MDR, MXDR and OT SOC scope can differ materially, so buyers should define monitored surfaces in the order form.. The page publishes vendor-reported comparative metrics without independent methodology.. IR hours are included as standard, but buyers should confirm number of hours, coverage triggers and overage rates. |
| Data portability | Partial | Partial |
| Contract terms | Custom cyber detection and response engagement, Managed Security Services, SOC and MDR, Critical-infrastructure cybersecurity services | Custom |
| Channels | EmailPhonePortal | PortalEmailPhone |
| Data access | Reports only | Dashboards |
| Dedicated analyst | – | – |
| SOC regions | EuropeMEAAPAC | Europe |
| Onboarding | Not published. Thales describes customer-centric service roadmaps and selecting/deploying detection and response technologies, but no standard MDR onboarding timeline. | Sapphire references onboarding and implementation that can be shorter than expected, but no standard public MDR onboarding timeline was found. |
| Industry focus | Critical InfrastructureGovernmentDefenseEnergyManufacturingAviationSpaceFinancial ServicesTelecommunicationsHealthcareTransportationAutomotiveUtilitiesMaritime | Public SectorDefenceFinancial ServicesProfessional ServicesIndustrialsManufacturingOperational TechnologyHealthcare |
| MTTD | Not published | Not published |
| MTTR | Not published | Not published |
| Community view | The current public evidence is strong for Thales-branded global SOC, MDR, CTI, DFIR and critical-infrastructure detection and response, but weak for S21sec as a standalone public MDR brand. Buyers should validate current delivery model, SOC location, response authority, pricing and whether the contract is with Thales/S21sec in the relevant country. | Sapphire has limited MDR-specific community review volume. The public buyer case is strongest for UK ownership, UK-based SOC delivery, CREST SOC accreditation and IT/OT services depth. Buyers should validate response authority, price, metrics and the exact split between MDR, MXDR, OT SOC and incident-response work. |
| Compliance | DORATIBER-EUPCI DSSEASA Part-ISEASAICAOUNECE | ISO 27001NISTHIPAADORACyber Essentials PlusCRESTGDPRPCI DSS |
| Certifications | 8 threat intelligence and AI-driven SOCs around the worldSOCs in France, Morocco, the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg, Portugal and Spain, and New Zealand and Australia | CREST SOCCREST Penetration TestingCyber Essentials PlusISO 27001 |
| Founded | – | 1996 |
| Data retention | Not published. Public pages do not describe default log retention, raw log access, storage tiers or export terms for Thales SOC and MDR. | Not published as a standard MDR retention period. |
| API available | – | – |
| Website | Visit → | Visit → |
FAQ
What is the main difference between Thales (S21sec) and Sapphire?
Thales (S21sec) is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Sapphire is a Services firm that is technology-agnostic (works with your existing tools). Thales (S21sec) covers 2 attack surfaces in base pricing vs. 4 for Sapphire.
How do Thales (S21sec) and Sapphire differ in response capabilities?
Thales (S21sec) supports 2 autonomous actions (custom playbooks, network containment) and approval is configurable. Sapphire supports 1 autonomous actions (custom playbooks) and approval is configurable.
How does Thales (S21sec) pricing compare to Sapphire?
Thales (S21sec) pricing: Not published. Sapphire pricing: Not published. Watch for with Thales (S21sec): The current S21sec domain routes to Thales-branded services, so buyers wanting legacy S21sec-specific delivery should confirm contracting entity, SOC location and delivery team.; Public pages do not publish prices, minimum terms, service credits, MTTD/MTTR or formal MDR SLAs.. Watch for with Sapphire: Public pages do not publish response SLAs or exact response-authority rules.; MDR, MXDR and OT SOC scope can differ materially, so buyers should define monitored surfaces in the order form..
Should I choose Thales (S21sec) or Sapphire?
Choose Thales (S21sec) if: critical infrastructure and public-sector buyers that need Thales/S21sec regional cyber detection and response. Choose Sapphire if: uK organisations that want MDR from a UK-owned provider with a UK-based CREST-accredited SOC. Thales (S21sec) is not ideal for buyers that need a standalone legacy S21sec-branded MDR package. Sapphire is not ideal for buyers that need public MDR pricing or contractual response SLAs before sales engagement.
Daylight Security
AI-native MDR for buyers comparing active remediation across endpoint, cloud, identity, and SaaS. Daylight works with existing EDR/SIEM stacks and uses ChatOps-native collaboration, so it can be a useful third reference point in this comparison.